Speed Play

When I was first introduced to the Speed Play approach to running, I was wholly underwhelmed. I had little (almost none) sense of where my limbs were at any given time, and running was a less-than-satisfactory experience. Various coaches suggested that I run cross country in order to improve my coordination, and I obliged by running cross country in 1980 and 1981. Training was painfully challenging, and the high point of each workout was hanging out with my teammates at the close of practice. At the time, I could scarcely imagine that nearly forty years later, I'd be joyfully doing Fartlek workouts.

Some workouts are a pleasure - some aren't.

The workout, Fartlek, derives from the Swedish word for speed play. I've just returned from 90+ minutes of Fartlek running in Blue Mound State Park; delighted in the interplay of running slowly, darting up hills, and coasting along flats. Rather than structuring a workout into discreet bits of this and that, the Fartlek invites a playful approach to rolling with the terrain. The Fartlek makes a relatively intense workout fun; periodically in this recent run, I found a smile spontaneously arising.

Today's run reminded me of a few points that I try to keep in mind in my workout regimen. Firstly, some workouts are fun, and many are not. Like meditation, the stock market and life in general, there are ups and downs. Today was a fun and up workout. Tomorrow's workout may be, too. Or not. There's no telling.

Today's takeaway: as best you can, approach each workout with beginner's mind, and an openness to the experience as-it-is. Whether you think the experience is good, bad or neutral, the awareness of the arising experience is the practice (workout).